Alfred e



(No Model.) 2'Sheets-S heet l.

E. JONES. APPARATUS FOR SEPA RATING GOLD PROM QUARTZ AND BOOK TAILINGS.

No. 251,718. A Patented. Jan. 3,1882.

N. PETERS. Phulohlhogr-lphcr. Wlshinglnn. 0.0.

(No Model.) 2 'Sheets-Sheet 2.

AA ,E. JONES.

APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING GOLD FROM QUARTZ ND BOOK TAILINGS.

No. 251,718. A PatentedJan.3,1882.

V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC i ALFRED E. JONES, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY,ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND JOHN T. ROWLAND AND RQBERT GRAY, JR, OF SAMEPLACE.

APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING GOLD FROM QUARTZ AND ROCK-TAlLlNGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 251,718, dated January3, 1882.

Application filed June 25, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, ALFRED E. JONES, of

Newark, in the State of New Jersey, haveinvented a new and usefulImprovement in Apparatus for SeparatingGold from Quartz and Rock-Tailings, of which the followingis a specification, reference being had to thedrawings herewith accompanying the same.

My invention consists in the arrangement and application of a suitablefibrous material in combination with machinery, so that the fibrousmaterial will unite or collect to itself the gold and carry and depositthe same to aplace designated,where it may be collected and treated. asdesired in separating the precious metal from itssand and ore.

v Figure 1 is a side elevation of an apparatus embodying my invention.Fig.2 is a top view of the same, and Fig. 3 is a sectional view of thevat employed, showing the agitator and separator, and also the draw Vand the sliding bottom.

' A and B are two rolls of suitable dimensions, superimposed one overthe other, and held in position by the upright standard frame-work 0.These rolls run an endless broad belt or felt blanket, such as isordinarily used by pa per-makers. One side of said belt is led betweenthe i'aces of a wire-cloth-covered drum or cylinder, F, and a roll, D,said roll D being covered by any soft material, by which a more perfectcontact is obtained between the said blanket and the cylinder F. Thesaid cylinder revolves in a vat or tank, E, (shown in section in Fig.3.) The ends of the cylinder are open and abut against rings of wood, ofthe same diameteras the cylinder, fastened on the inside of the vat, soas to form a seat for suitable packing, to prevent the escape of anyfluid or other material this way. Consequently the water to escape mustpass through the wirecloth, and thereby deposit on the wire-cloth anymaterial it may have in suspension. This operation is substantially thusfar the same as the operation of paper-making by the cylintier-machine,so called.

G is a mixing-box to unite the fiber received from a tank, G with waterwhich is received from the pump B H H are boxes that receive the waterfrom the cylinder F, and are provided with a gate over the opening,(shown at M on sectional revolving of the rolls forcing the water outof' the pulp carried to and between them by the belt 0. i

P is a settling-tank.

L is a catch-box to catch refuse flowingfrom settling-tank P.

M is a box into which pumps B and D both empty,D being a pump to forcefiber from the tank G which fiber has been held in water in said tank,and so fiber and water are mixed together.

G is a tank for fiber which has not yet passed through the machine, andheld in reserve.

N is a box where is united the water from pump B and pulp from tank Gthrough the use of the pump D P is a mixing and settling tank for thegoldtailings, receiving them mixed with water through pipe 0. from acommon pug-mill or direct from quartz-crushers, as the case may be. a isthe outlet-pipe for the same, discharging into box Q, where the tailingsmix andunitewith the pulp from box N, conveyed to box Q by means of thepipe B R are screws bearing on rubber blocks a for forcing down the rollA. t

a S is a scraper for removing the pulp from roll A, and is pivoted andworked, as shown, by handle 8, so as to be graduated in its pressingagainst roll A.

T is a save-all to catch the water from rolls A B.

V is a sliding box in bottom of vat. E, and in which is a quantityofquicksilver at its bottom, designed to act as an amalgamating-pan,

and also to receive heavy particles which may i come over with the pulpand tailings, and en abling the same to be removed without stopping theoperation ofthe machine by means of themovable slide W, (showninsectionaldrawing.) It will readily be seen that whenit is description.

desired to withdraw the pan V the handle 3 is worked back and forthtill'the plate W is slid over and covers the said sliding box.

Xis an agitator to mix the pulp and tailings as they fall into the vatE.

Z are valves in bottom of settling-tank P, to remove refuse withoutstopping the operation of said tank. There are openings under the valvesZ of settling-tank P, (not shown in these drawings,) through whichrefuse drops onto an apron-under the tank P. As Ielaim thissettling-tank in a separate application this day made to theCommissioner of Patents for the same, it is not necessary for me torefer to the same.

B is a pipe whereby water is conveyed from the pump B to the box M; B, apipe which leads to the tank G 13 is a pipe leading from box M to themixing-box G.

P P P P are pulleys, on which runs the belt or apron O as it carries thefiber and metal to the scraper S and returns.

43 is a sifter formed of the uprights, as shown in Fig. 3, whereby theheavier bodies of ore dropping into tank E are prevented from coming orcrushing against the cylinder F.

The operation of my machine is as follows: Any fibrous matter that mixedwith water will form a pulp is placed in the tank G and thus thoroughlymixed is afterward pumped by pump D through pipe 13 into receiving-boxM, and from there it flows through pipe B into the mixing-box G. Thecylinder-wheel F, covered with a thin wire-gauze, such as will allowwater to flow through, but no pulp, revolves in box E, and, revolving,takes on its surface the pulpy matter. Ore-tailingis broken up intosmall pieces as possible by means of a pugmill, and when so crushed andground is passed through the pipe a into the settling-box P. This box isprovided with partitions, each partition having an opening into thecatch-box L, by means of button-bottoms, which are more fully describedand set forth in my separate application for patent of even dateherewith, and to which reference is here made for a full As the orepasses through this settling-box all heavy lumps sink to the bottom andare drawn off. The lighter portions and the precious metal float on thetop, and are carried off through the pipe a down into the box Q. Thisbox Q has also graduated slides or bars, as shown in Fig. 3, over whichthe ore is carried, the heavier portions settling to the bottom. The orenow passes from the box Q down into the receiving-vat E, which is nearlyfull of water, which is kept in constant agitation by means of theagitator X. The ore falling in this vat, all the heavier portions sinkinto the drawer V, and by closing the bottom of the vat E over thisdrawer, as shown, by means of the movable piece W and wheel Y, thedrawer V can be drawn out and emptied. The vat E has guards 1', (shownin Fig. 3,) which prevent the heavier portions of the ore coming intocontact with the wire-gauze wheel F. Thewheel F being coated with pulp,and coming into contact with the ore or sand-tailin gs containing goldand water, the pulp takes up the gold onto its surface and carries it uptill it comes into contact with the broad endless woolen felt belt orblanket O. This blanket, revolving on the wheel D, takes oil all thepulp and sandtailings as they stick to it, and carries them around withit over the pulley P to and between the rollers A B. These rollers,being of wood or iron, are pressed tight down by means of theband-screw, so that all the water is pressed out of the pulp containingthe sandtailings, which water flows into the save-all T, from thenceflows through the pipe K into the box H,.when it is pumped with thewater that flows from the inside of the cylinder F into the box M, andfrom there into the mixingbox Gr again. The pulp passed onto the rollerA is carried up by it till it meets the scraper S, when it is cleanlyscraped off and falls into a receptacle prepared for it. The blanket 0thus passes over the pulleys P P P to wheel D, when it is again loadedup from the cylinder F. If the pulp is not charged suffi-v ciently withthe precious metal so as to pay to destroy or burn it, it is thrown intothe tank G and thoroughly mixed again with water, and from this tankpumped by pump 1) through the pipe into box N, thence through pipe Binto box Q, and from there into the vat E, and thence around again. Whenthe pulp is sufficiently charged with sand-tailings it is taken andburned and the precious metal extracted.

B is another pump, situated at the opposite end of the cylinder F fromthat of B and is used to pump the water from box H that flows from thatend of the cylinder F. M

It will be observed that other ways may be employed rather than pumpsfor conveying the pulp from tanks G and G What I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an apparatus for separating the .precious metal from sand-tailingswith fibrous material, 850., the combination of the tank G mixingbox Gr,cylinder F, vat E, endless belt G, rollers A and B, and scraper S,substantially as described, and for the purpose specified.

2. In an apparatus for separating the precious metal from sand-tailings,the combination of the tank G mixing-box G, cylinder F, vat E, endlessbelt (J, with its pulleys, rollers A and B,and save-allTandits pipe K,scraper S, pump 13, box M and its connecting-pipes, and box H,substantiallyas described, and for the purpose specified.

3. In an apparatus for separating precious metal from sand-tailings,850., the combination of the tank G pump D box N and its pipes, box Q,vat E, cylinder F, belt 0 and its pulleys, and rollers A and B,substantially as described, and for the purpose specified.

4. In an apparatus for separating the preand wheel Y, and pan V,substantially as deeious metal from sand-tailings, &o., the comscribed,and for the purpose specified.

' bination of the tanks G and G mixing-boxes V G and Q, vat E, cylinderF, pumps B and B ALFRED E. JONES. 5 with their pipes, belt 0, with itspulleys, tank- 1 boxes H and H, boxes M and N and their Witnesses:pipes, rollers A and B, save-all 'l and its pipe CHAS. R. CLARKE, K,scraper S, agitator X, sliding bottom W JOHN HOWARD OQRWIN.

